Fulani herdsmen killed 48 Christians in central Nigeria's Benue state between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, sources said.
The gunmen killed 18 Christians, including women and children, who were on their way to church services in Azege village, Logo County on Dec. 1, and 30 others were slain in Logo and Katsina-Ala counties on Nov. 24, area residents told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
"The Fulani herdsmen, armed with deadly weapons, shot sporadically on the Christians, butchered some victims with machetes, and destroyed their crops on farmlands," said Benjamin Uzenda, former member of the Logo Local Government Council.
In Nigeria's National Assembly, Sen. Emmanuel Udende of Benue state on Dec. 5 lamented the killing of the 18 villagers on their way to church "by suspected armed herdsmen."
"These attacks perpetrated by herdsmen have continued unabated, undermining security, peace and the socio-economic stability of the affected communities," Udende said, adding that since Oct. 22, herdsmen have also ambushed and killed 15 people in Ayilamo, 25 in Anyiin and 6 in Uzer village.
"The continuous insecurity in these areas is in direct contravention of the constitutional provision under section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government," Udende said.
Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, also representing Benue state in the National Assembly, said during the discourse that the killings should be investigated.
"When people come, kill and go away it calls for concerns, and I think it should be properly investigated," Moro said. "We need to understand what is happening. We must get to the root of this matter, because I don't think it is as simple as we see it."
Sen. Victor Umeh blamed the killings on herdsmen and expressed sadness over the inability of authorities to stop the bloodshed.
In the Nov. 24 killings, more than 300 armed Fulani herdsmen attacked predominantly Christian communities in Logo and Katsina-Ala counties, said community leader Joseph Anawah.
"They overwhelmingly attacked our people, shooting anyone in sight and killing 30 Christians," Anawah told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
Clement Kav, chairman of the Logo Local Government Council, confirmed that 30 people died and added that 37 others were wounded.
Catherine Anene, spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News, "It is true that there have been attacks on some communities in Benue state, but know that the police and other security agencies are doing all that is necessary in order to end these attacks."
Taraba Attacks
In neighboring Taraba state, gunmen broke into the homes of a pastor and a young woman and killed them, sources said.
In Jalingo, the state capital, the assailants shot their way into the residence of Pastor Clement Anthony and the neighboring home of a student, Titi Edward, the night of Dec. 6, officials said.
"A young woman studying for an upcoming examination was shot in her room," Usman Abdullahi, spokesman for the Taraba State Police Command, said in a press statement. "She was reading in her room when they opened fire on her, hitting her in the back. The bullet exited through her stomach."
The pastor was shot dead at his neighboring compound, he said.
"However, the gunmen did not kidnap any person or cart away money or any valuable from the two compounds they attacked," Abdullahi told Sahara Reporters, raising speculation that the assailants were Islamic extremists.
Dr. Aminu Jauro Hassan, chairman of the Jalingo Local Government Council, who visited the families of the two victims, said they were killed without provocation.
"Dr. Aminu Jauro Hassan, executive chairman of Jalingo Local Government Council of Taraba State, has extended his condolences to the families of the victims of the recent attack by gunmen at Kona Ward in Jalingo, Taraba state," reported a council press statement. "The attack, which occurred on the night of Friday, 6 December, claimed the lives of Titi Edward and Pastor Clement Anthony. A delegation comprising the leader and deputy leader of the council, chief of staff to the executive chairman, and other councilors, accompanied the council chairman during the condolence visit. Dr. Hassan prayed for the departed souls to rest in perfect peace, and said his condolence visit is a testament to his commitment to supporting the community during difficult times."
Taraba state has been under attack by herdsmen and other terrorists.
On Thursday (Dec. 5), two family members of Taraba state Gov. Kefas Agbu, a Christian, were attacked. His mother, Jumai Kefas, and his sister, Atsi Kefas, were shot and wounded in Wukari County as they we're commuting along Kente Road, according to Dauda Samaila Agbu, chairman of the Wukari Local Government Council.
"Both mother and sister of the governor were shot and injured by bandits," Agbu said in a press statement. "The two women were injured and were conveyed to Federal Teaching Hospital in Wukari, where they were treated and referred to a medical facility in the city of Abuja for further treatment. This attack on these women is disturbing and is a continuation of the continued attack on our communities."
Nigeria remained the deadliest place in the world to follow Christ, with 4,118 people killed for their faith from Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30, 2023, according to Open Doors' 2024 World Watch List (WWL) report. More kidnappings of Christians than in any other country also took place in Nigeria, with 3,300.
Nigeria was also the third highest country in number of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings such as hospitals, schools, and cemeteries, with 750, according to the report.
In the 2024 WWL of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year.
Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdom's All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report.
"They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity," the APPG report states.
Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians' lands and impose Islam as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds.
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